From Aaron And Jillian Photography… Elopements have gone from courthouse ceremonies to GORGEOUS styled ceremonies, beautiful two tiered wedding cakes, over the top florals and lots of time for the bride and groom to spend as just the two of them together on their wedding day! We first “met” Jess when she started following us on Instagram! We were instantly fans of her and Patrick when we saw that he took her to Paris to propose and even hired a photographer to capture the moment when he dropped to his knee! We crossed our fingers that just maybe that “Instagram follow” would materialize into them hiring us as their wedding photographers…and well, dreams do come true, people! A couple weeks later, there was an e-mail in our inbox from Jess!!! So fast forward to a couple weeks ago, we met Jess & Patrick for their wedding day and spent 4 glorious hours with the two of them…and I’d like to take a moment to give a little pat on the back to the Pure Luxe Bride gals!! They helped Jess & Patrick come up with one of the pretties designs for their elopement at The Legare Waring House! I think we all went home that day with smiles plastered over our faces and an even deeper love for what we do in the wedding industry!

Jess & Patrick’s wedding day just made you re-think a big wedding, we’re not surprised! We LOVED spending the day with this sweet couple and know that at the end of the day, they had zero regrets about their decision to elope together here in Charleston…and hopefully these photos will allow their friends and family to feel as if they were right there with them, through the whole experience! Thank you for choosing us, Jess & Patrick and we hope these photos will always serve as a reminder of your perfect elopement!

For any couples planning a multicultural wedding, take notes from Matthew and Preena who paid homage to both their Indian and English heritages in one cohesive celebration. They began the day with a Western-style ceremony followed by a traditional Hindu “Mandap” all set in the charming English countryside. A feast of Indian food was served for their ballroom reception and Taylor & Porter didn’t miss a single moment. Click here for much more!

From Taylor and Porter…Matthew and Preena married this summer at Wrest Park, a Grade I listed Mansion in England mixing elegant French architecture with a grand and picturesque landscape. This unique early 19th century house was the perfect setting for this couple’s classically elegant style. Matthew and Preena shared not one but two ceremonies; both a Western marriage ceremony and a traditional Hindu “Mandap”. The Mandap was one of the most colourful, lighthearted and inclusive ceremonies I’ve ever had the privilege to capture. It involves both family’s participation and has many different traditional elements including offerings to the gods, promises made between the parents to care for each others child and even a part where the women of the family offer secret marriage advice to the bride! It was a beautiful meeting of families, traditions and cultures.

The grounds of Wrest Park are adorned with stunning lawns, wooded walks and flower gardens, dotted with fountains, statues and ornate follies. We explored the park and house capturing portraits with Matthew and Preena as the warm August sun set. Their reception was held in the grounds; in the beautiful light filled Orangery where after a feast of traditional Indian food they danced the night away under the stars.

From the Bride, Preena… We decided to get married at Wrest Park after we visited the site a year before the day in torrential downpour and knew in an instant we would book, it was the first and last place we looked at and a big tick off the list, also as it was half way between both our family homes and a easy train ride from London for our friends.

We decided to fuse both my Hindu Gujarati heritage with the Groom’s English background and began the day with a civil ceremony where we wrote our own (tear-jerking!) vows to one another. I walked down the aisle to ‘Here, There and Everywhere’ by the Beatles played by our talented brother in law David.

This was followed by Indian street food canapés on the library terrace and then a traditional Hindu ceremony, with a sitar player. Finally we had a drinks reception with a jazz band followed by a 3 course Indian feast and cocktail bar. The cake was made by my Aunt and our first dance was to Sweet Pea by Amos Lee. The day was fantastically co-ordinated by the brilliant best men which certainly helped it run smoothly.

The pastel colour scheme leant to fusion of Regal Indian and classic English and ran through to the stationery, flowers, button holes (the guests has lavender and rosemary) and favours (potted succulents).

When we started planning our wedding we knew the things that were important to us – one of them being a Photographer with a great eye and a natural approach. From the initial enquiry email to our meeting on our engagement session and also the day itself, Louise and Teo were warm, friendly, fantastic company, professional and helped put us both at ease. On the day and prior they worked continuously and many guests commented on their dedicated approach. We have so many beautiful photographs from our day and are truly grateful to Taylor & Porter for their hard work and talent in producing the images. We would not miss a beat to recommend them to anyone for any occasion.

Calling all lovers of stunning lace gowns: this post is for you. Because if ever there was a designer that knows how to create a masterpiece using one of our all-time fave fabrics, it’s Morilee Madeline Gardner. Their fab Spring 2017 collections feature some seriously pretty lace creations – from gorgeous ballgowns to sophisticated sheaths. Scroll for every timeless piece.

The ultimate bridal look that never goes out of style? Lace, of course. It’s the one fabric that is as classic as it is breathtaking AND it also happens to be a beautiful staple of Morilee Madeline Gardner’s Spring 2017 collections. Which is no wonder, really, since Madeline Gardner’s love of lace has been a highlight of her designs ever since she fell in love with the gorgeous fabric decades ago and decided she was meant to design bridal gowns. That’s what we call very, very lucky for us… and these new collections? Simply amazing. Think classic features, modern femininity, luxurious details and flattering silhouettes that will make your hearts sing. We love.

Whether you’re tying the knot in a sophisticated garden party, in a traditional ballroom affair fit for a princess or something else entirely, contact Morilee Madeline Gardner for a lace creation that will leave all of your guests talking. We honestly can’t wait to see which stunning gown you choose.

From the Bride… Brian and I knew from the start of the wedding planning process that we wanted our wedding to have some very important key elements — not all of which were easy to accomplish simultaneously! We knew that we wanted our wedding to have a romantic and elegant feel while also making our guests feel at home at a spectacular party. After searching high and low from Europe to Mexico to the Caribbean, we were so fortunate to find a venue that was the ideal fit, Casa de Campo.

We were able to have a private toes in the sand ceremony, just as we had imagined for our dream wedding. Directly following, we hosted our reception in the town square of a beautiful cobblestone village on the resort property that makes you feel as if you’ve been transported back in time to 17th century Italy. It truly felt like we were living in a fairytale with the best part being that I got to marry my very own Prince Charming! We danced the night away under the stars with a local band that kept the party going until 3am. It was everything we hoped for and so much more.

The Dress: The first Lazaro gown I ever saw was in a bridal magazine. My 5 year old self decided that one day, when I got married, it would be in a Lazaro. When the time came to actually pick out my dream dress, I jumped into the hunt to find the perfect one by trying on every possible style and designer. After countless appointments from coast to coast, I finally tried on my first Lazaro gown at the Bridal Galleria in San Francisco. I had never worn anything that felt like such a complete expression of my personality. The asymmetrical lines, varied blush hues, intricate embellishments around the waist, and deep v-back all came together in such an artistic way. It was love at first sight! The icing on the cake is that I got to meet Lazaro and hear his vision for the gown. Such a dream come true.